August 2027: A Parent's Nightmare Part V.
Dante's decision would have to be relayed, of course, to Mrs Rosenfeld. She was extremely happy, making Beats wonder if she would be hat shopping by the end of the week, just in case… That only left one person to tell, and as it happened, they were the most important person of all. Having been given the all clear by the doctors, and a good painkiller for his aching head, Lachlan was more than eager to see Dante again. Once more the latter was placed into a wheelchair and pushed over to his boyfriend's bedside; then by mutual consent, the four parents left them to talk alone.
"Okay, what exactly did you say to my folks just now?" asked Lachlan. "Mom is overly happy about something given the circumstances and dad kept looking at you as if he wanted to hug you…"
Dante smiled, then said, "I told them something that I have been thinking about for a while, but I should really have discussed it properly with you before I told anyone else. With everything that we have been through it just all spilled out. I know that you have a lot of pride in your religion and that it is a major part of who you identify as. It gives you a lot of comfort, something that my supposed faith does not do, and well, I am envious of that. For that reason, and because I love you so much, I have decided that I am going to convert to Judaism, so that we can share a faith along with everything else we have together."
"Well," started Lachlan, then he paused to pick up Dante's hand and kiss it. That done, he went on, "I really had no idea that you thought like that about my faith. I'll be honest, if you had said this to me last week, I would have thought you were joking, which makes me seem like a terrible person given how strongly you feel… I can tell that you are serious, but you are aware of everything that you will have to give up?"
"You still celebrate Christmas and eat chocolate eggs at Easter," said Dante with a grin.
"That is not what I am talking about, and I hope that you know it!" replied Lachlan. "You have something that I don't, something that no Jewish boy has for very long…" He paused, his cheeks burning bright red. "Please Dante, don't make me say it…"
"It's okay, I know exactly what you mean. You don't like it that much, nor am I so attached to it that losing it will traumatise me," his boyfriend replied, his own cheeks now red. "It's not that unusual a thing to have done, and people get it done at our age all the time. I'm also certain that no-one has ever passed away during the process…"
"If I wasn't confined to this bed, I would hit you right now!" said Lachlan, before he started to giggle uncontrollably, which set Dante off. The sound of their laughter was audible in the corridor to four happy parents and also to Roderick; it was a sound that made them all so happy. Admittedly, Roderick would be less happy later, when he was left red-faced when Dante asked him how he would go about getting the operation in question done…
Beats would also blush a little when the young nurse spoke to him about it, but he didn't care all that much; he was just so pleased to see the two young men awake, reunited and above all else, happy. He had made a phone call to his mother as soon as he could on leaving the room, and she was as delighted as he was to discover that Lachlan had no amnesia and hence Dante had not been forgotten. She was still insistent though that she was going to come to New York as soon as she could, so that she could see them both in person.
"It isn't just my need to see them both that is driving me to come to the city, but also the fact that they are going to need a lot of time to recuperate from this. Much as it might pain the two of them, they are not going to be able to live alone for a while. I know for certain that Mrs Rosenfeld will offer to take care of them, but she cannot do so alone, it just wouldn't be practical. Her husband, yourself and Elliott all work full time, so you can't step in easily. Let me know when they are to be discharged from the hospital and I will be there…"
Beats had not even bothered trying to argue with her, knowing that she had her mind set on it now, even if the practicalities of it were not great at all…
After that, he made contact with Thad to let him know all was well, as he would be able to send out a group message to the Warbler brotherhood; thus, everyone would know without the need for dozens of calls. Meanwhile Elliott had been sending a similar message to Kitty and Tina, knowing that they would be glad to hear all was well, and that was largely down to their swift actions the previous night.
Neither of them made any mention of the latest news that Dante had given them, as it was not their place to do so. Once they were back in the room, however, Beats was asked by Dante if he would get in contact with Flint and ask if he would be prepared to sponsor him in the conversion process. "I would like to know what he says as soon as possible; the truth is that I want to start on it now. I have asked Lachlan if he can ask his parents to contact Rabbi Hirsch and have her come and see me, and he said he would do it just now. I know I could have contacted her myself, or asked you to do so, but I felt that the approach might be better coming from a Jewish family."
Beats had to concur with that, but before he could say anything there was a knock on the door of the room. The door then opened and much to their shock, the lady in question stepped through and into the room…
It transpired that she had been at the hospital visiting another member of her congregation and had been intending to stop by and see them all in any case. She had been informed by Mr Rosenfeld that morning that Lachlan and Dante had been attacked, and that his boy was in a coma; she had expected to be there to comfort the parents and pray with them. That he was now awake was a source of great joy to her, but what amused her more was the look of shock on Dante's face as she stepped in, and she was curious as to where that had come from…
He had recovered from his surprise by the time that she came over to speak to him, having spent some time first with the Rosenfelds as members of her congregation. At her particular request, Beats and Elliott stayed at their boy's bedside, but Ty took the hint and announced he was going to go and talk to Lachlan. She waited until he was away, then smiled at him…
"I hear that you have come to a quite momentous decision about your future in terms of your faith; namely that you wish to join the congregation as a full member. Obviously, I am delighted to hear that, and you will be made very welcome by everyone. These days so many of our young people marry outwith the faith, and whilst I have no issue with it, it is sad that very few of those spouses are prepared to even attend service with them, let alone embark on what you are doing and convert fully. You will need to go through a series of classes; there will be tests and also one on one sessions with senior members of the congregation and myself. The first thing that you will need to find is a sponsor within the congregation who will support you through the process, and that cannot be either of the Rosenfeld men."
"I have already considered that, and I have asked dad to ask Uncle Flint for me," said Dante in response. "I have also spoken to one of the nurses here privately about the necessary procedure I will have to undergo…"
"Dante, I don't think that is an appropriate subject for discussion right now!" hissed Elliott in mortification, but Rabbi Hirsch just laughed.
"Don't worry, I have been made fully aware of the extent of his plans in that area by young Lachlan, who mother was every bit as mortified as you are when he told me. To be honest, such a step is not entirely necessary for late in life converts, but if you are indeed set on going through with the procedure, then I can contact one of the surgeons that we use; he is actually one of the residents here and experienced in conducting the operation with males of all ages. He might even be able to perform the procedure for you in the next couple of days, since you are already going to be here in the hospital…"
"That soon!" said Beats, as both Dante and Elliott just stared at the rabbi. He alone had seen the twinkle in her eyes which suggested to him that she was pulling Dante's leg just a little…
"Oh yes," Rabbi Hirsch replied, giving Beats a wink as she did so. "Of course, that is only if the minor surgery in question would not create an issue in terms of his recovery from his more serious injuries. Now, changing the topic for a moment, I hear that they have the two people that carried out the attack in custody; that is something that we can all be glad of…"
With the conversation moved onto safer ground, they were all able to relax again. Eventually though, it was time for the rabbi to leave, and when she took her leave, Beats walked out with her. "Don't worry," she said to him as soon as they were outside, "I have no intention of setting up the operation anytime soon. He needs to take time to consider it properly. It is quite a step he is taking, but I do believe that he is doing it for the right reasons. I also approve of his choice of Mr Wilson as his sponsor. He may not be present in the congregation every Sabbath without fail - although he is coming more often than he used to - but he is blessed with a strong faith, and I am sure that his wife will also do all she can to assist Dante on his journey."
Then the rabbi looked around to see that they were alone and lowered her voice. "I didn't want to say anything in front of Dante, but I have another reason to be grateful that they have caught the two men involved. The reason I was here today was to visit another young man, the son of one of the other members of the congregation, who was also attacked by two men answering the description of those that attacked Lachlan and Dante. He was out with his best friend, doing nothing wrong when it happened; I'm afraid to say that my congregant is in a coma, and the other boy didn't survive. There is reason to hope that he will recover though, and the news that his assailants have been caught was a source of relief to his parents…"
Beats looked stunned, as until now he had not imagined that someone he knew would know another of their victims. He took a breath, and said, "I have to admit something; Dante knew both of the young men that attacked him. They were part of a gang that he hung around with before he came to us from the Bronx."
She nodded, and replied, "I know, courtesy of the Rosenfelds, but that information will remain between us. I think we should be glad that Dante did know them, as that is probably the reason why they are both still here to tell the tale." Beats nodded, as he thought exactly the same. "Once they are out of hospital, I shall arrange to see Dante and have a proper discussion on the conversion process with him. I did note that he looked quite relieved when I postponed the operation he is intending on, even if he said nothing. Still, the fact that is willing to undergo the procedure bodes well for his future with Lachlan; he will be a great asset to our congregation…"
When Beats returned to the hospital room, it was to find that Roderick had returned and had been joined by Ollie. Whilst the former did all of the necessary observations, Ollie motioned for Beats to come and join Elliott and the Rosenfelds. "Okay, this is the moment when I make myself unpopular, I'm afraid… Obviously whilst the two of them were in a critical condition we had no issue with your presence here next to them at all times; however, now that they are on the road to recovery, we have to say that we can't allow you to sit vigil at their bedsides all day and night…"
"Oh, we quite understand that, and I am sure that the boys will too," said Isaac Rosenfeld, getting in before his wife could voice an objection. "They will be together and in the very best of hands here. They have been through a very traumatic experience and what they both need now to help them recover fully is a move back towards normality. Although they will be in hospital for a little while yet, our leaving them alone will be a first step. It will help them prepare for their discharge into our care in due course…"
"I think that when that happens it would be best for them to return to their own home, although I will of course be keeping a very close eye on them at all times," his wife added.
"I agree," said Beats, one eye on Elliott to ensure he could silence any protest he might have been about to make about the idea. "However, I should add that my mother is insisting on coming from Ohio to help look after them, and I doubt that I can do anything to prevent her coming. As it was, it took a superhuman effort on my father's part to stop her coming immediately she heard the news. The way I see it is that her presence will give you some support, Ruth; taking care of the two of them on your own would be very hard going, especially in the early stages…"
He expected to hear a protest from Mrs Rosenfeld, but she nodded, and said, "Well, that is true, and I am sure that between us we can come to some sort of arrangement that suits everyone." Beats looked at Elliott then, and could see that he also saw that she had some doubts about whether that would be the case…
With Ollie making it clear they should leave, Beats and Elliott returned to the room to collect Ty and say their goodbyes to the two young men that they loved so much. Then they left, splitting up as they left the hospital; Elliott headed back to the West Village with Ty, as it was getting late and he had school in the morning, whilst his husband jumped on the subway and headed uptown to the Upper East Side, where he would pay a quick visit to Flint and ask the question that Dante had asked him to…
He was warmly welcomed by his friend the moment that he arrived, who asked him how the two young men were faring as soon as he had crossed the threshold. "They're sore, more than a little upset under a façade of bravado, and of course, even more united as a couple through the shared experience. Dante is still blaming himself for it all, and still believes he was the specific target, but from what I have been told, they were just the final victims in a series of attacks over the last few weeks. Eventually we will need to tell him the whole story, but it is still a little early for that; for now, it is best for him to think they were attacked because those two saw an old associate and wanted revenge. If he knew that was the thing that saved him and Lachlan from a worse fate, then his guilt might take on a whole other direction…"
"All of this has certainly opened my eyes a little to what still goes on in the city. Sometimes I don't think I realise just how lucky we all are to have such peaceful and comfortable lives," replied Flint.
Beats nodded, then went on, "Dante then dropped another surprise on us today; he announced that he wants to convert fully to Judaism so he can fully support Lachlan in all ways. That news is part of the reason that I have come here this evening. I don't know how much you know about the conversion process, but he needs a sponsor, and that person cannot be a member of the family he is marrying into. For that reason, he has decided that he wants to ask you to undertake that role for him, and having had a conversation with Rabbi Hirsch when she popped in to see them whilst she was already at the hospital, we are all agreed that you would make an excellent choice, if you are prepared to do it."
Flint was silent for a moment, his eyes downcast towards the floor, but then he sniffed, and swiped at his eyes, before saying, "It would be an honour to do that for him, and I am sure that Izzy would be happy to help out too. Can you tell him that I accept the invitation, but it is on the condition that we do not let my mom know. The only reason I say that is because knowing her she will want to come and visit, and probably try to pass on the benefits of her experience to Dante too. He is just recovering from one full on assault, and the last thing he needs is another one from my mother…"
Beats smiled at his best friend and said, "The last thing that either you or Dante need is that, so I will suggest we keep this very much to ourselves for now. I don't think that Rabbi Hirsch would be all that pleased to see her either, although I have to say that she has a wicked sense of humour…" Flint looked at him, puzzled by his words, so he told him everything that had transpired at the hospital.
At first, Flint just laughed, but then he went more serious. "Do you know, I never thought about that aspect. I mean, I never had the opportunity to choose, and neither do most American males, but he has the choice, and is prepared to sacrifice it for love…"
"Exactly; they are soulmates for sure," remarked Beats. "It will mean that he will need another visit to the hospital, although it is done as what they call day surgery. He will attend first thing in the morning, the procedure is then done, and he is sent home in the early evening."
Flint nodded, then said, "I shall make time to pop down and visit him after work tomorrow, assuming that he is still in the hospital; we can have our first discussion. For now, just let him know that I am delighted to accept his request, and that I feel that he is even more of a nephew to me now as a consequence."
"I guess all of this will be good practice for you when it comes to the time for Aaron to go through all of the coming-of-age ceremonies," added Beats.
Flint shuddered, and whilst his friend tried not to chuckle, he replied, "That is something that I try not to even think about, because when the time does come, mom will be at her full-blown worst! When it was my bar mitzvah, dad tells me that she sent letters to every Jewish celebrity that she could think of, asking them to send good wishes to me on my special day. I was left mortally embarrassed in the synagogue that day when she stood reciting all of the names…"
"Because it was a sign to everyone that your mother was a social climbing snob?"
"No, because there were so few names for her to read out! She had made a point of telling everyone that would listen, or was forced to listen, exactly what she was doing; she had also told them all exactly how many letters she was sending out. The amount of cash she spent on stamps and paper to get a response rate that was well under 1%..."
"Ouch!" said Beats, struggling even harder not to laugh out loud.
"She probably has already compiled a list of every famous Jewish person that is a resident in New York City to invite to attend poor Aaron's ceremony…"
"Well, look on the bright side, you know that at least one will be there. If you invite Rachel Berry, she is almost certain to show up," replied Beats in such an off-hand way that Flint looked at him, and then burst out laughing, which finally allowed Beats to do the same.
"Actually, I don't know if she will make the cut," Flint responded when he finally managed to stop laughing. "She might not be quite enough of a celebrity for mom. Now, if only her husband was Jewish too…" Beats smiled, fully aware that Sam was as Christian as they came…
The residents of the West Village would breathe a little more easily that evening in the knowledge that Dante and Lachlan were both doing okay. It had cast a shadow over Joan's second full day in the city, with Adam feeling a little subdued as he and Lawrence took her downtown to see the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. Both of those places had been at the top of her to do list; in the case of the latter, it was largely because she wanted to have a good look at the records.
"My grandmother was always talking about her brother, who made the decision to emigrate to the United States in the early years of the twentieth century. He was the second son of her parents, seven years older than she was. He left when she was eleven years old, but what always seems strange to me is that apparently, she never heard from him again… Now, if he had died en route or not long after he arrived, that would surely have been communicated to the family, and she would have known. Reading between the lines, I think there might have been some major falling out with his father; certainly, his name was never uttered in the household again, as if he was no longer a member of the family…" Joan said to her grandson and his fiancé as they sailed over to the island. "Maybe I am wrong, of course, but it was not an age when communication was difficult; he would have written at the very least had all been alright between him and his parents. My aim today is to try and find Percival Edwin Talbot, my great-uncle, on the entry lists for 1903 at least. After that, we can perhaps go deeper and see if he did manage to make a good life for himself."
Adam agreed, ignoring the fact that Lawrence was trying not to chuckle at the fact that his boyfriend's distant relations initial spelt PET… They had booked the earliest possible boat to the island, as he had no idea how long it would take to go through all the records; as soon as they arrived, he was relieved to discover that all of the records had now been computerised in a painstaking process. It would give them the reference to the exact volume of the physical logbooks that contained his details, so that his grandmother could go and see them. Still, as he typed the details he knew into the public access computer, he prayed inwardly that his name would indeed appear, as if it did not, then the mystery would deepen all the more.
Fortunately, he came up quickly, and they were able to go and examine the ledger. As Joan and Lawrence did that, he wondered what other information he could find out from the family records that were collated on the island. He headed for a computer terminal that was connected to the files of the New York City records and entered his ancestor's details once more. It showed him instantly that he had stayed in the city, but that was just the start of the information that he could access. He decided that he should see what happened next before his grandmother started to ask…
Now in the evening of that Monday, Adam was still trying to make sense of what he had discovered, and how that information showed him just how small the world really was. He had managed to find a marriage certificate for Percival Edwin Talbot and then birth records for his six children. That had silenced the little voice in his head that had been wondering if the man had been like him and had been disowned by his family for his homosexuality. Still, just because he went on to have a large family, it did not mean that he had not been caught with a male back home…
He had found some of the marriages of the next generation of the family in the records for the 1920s, but then he started to lose track as the family began to expand rapidly from then on. He did discover the marriage certificate of Percival's eldest grandson in the mid-1940s, as he had been named after his grandfather, and it was not all that common a name. From there, he discovered that the man had produced two daughters, but thereafter the trail ran cold, with no further information on them in the city records. It wasn't all that surprising really, as based on his limited knowledge of the city and its neighborhoods, they had been born into a reasonably wealthy area, but one from which the white population would move in the next decade or so as the suburbs sprawled and change after change impacted the employment pattern of the city.
He had decided then that he should arrange for a professional genealogist to make up a family tree for Joan; she was quite happy for now to find out that he had lived and prospered, but he knew that in time she would want to know more; for a start, she would want to know when he had died, and where he might be buried. Again, there was no death record in the city files, which indicated that he too had left the city…
After dinner that evening, Joan had sat down to watch television, and he had left her in Lawrence's company. He had opened up his own laptop, and pulled up one of the big genealogy websites, and signed up, paying the necessary fee for good access to all the records from across the United States. He was shocked to find no death record for Percival Edwin Talbot, and he wondered if perhaps he had gone back to the United Kingdom at some point late in life; the family had moved away from their original home by then, and he might have decided it was better not to try and find them.
Then he input the names of his two great-granddaughters into the system, merely out of curiosity. The eldest girl's wedding certificate meant little to him, but the one he found for the younger girl left him staring at the computer screen. The information he saw there had him gobsmacked if he was being totally honest. He then shook his head, deciding that it couldn't possibly be true; but something made him look for the birth records of her children. There he found the proof that he needed that what he had imagined was indeed true…
His great-granddaughter had married a man whose surname was Hummel, and they had been living in Ohio.
She had a son, and his name was Burt…
Adam was so shocked at the revelation that he did not even notice the telltale draught as the angel arrived in the room, so that when they spoke, he jumped in fright. "It came as quite a surprise to me as well when my mom finally informed me of this news about an hour ago. I think that the official way to describe our relationship would be that we are fourth cousins, once removed. We are family, but not close family. Maybe that connection is part of the reason why we got on so well together from the day that we met; our common DNA was bringing us closer together. It also means that your grandmother is my dad's second cousin, twice removed, and you are his fourth cousin, which is nice…"
"She will not stop telling people that she is distantly related to the current Speaker of Congress when she finds out; worse, she will be desperate to actually meet him as soon as possible, and have tea with him," sighed Adam. He knew that he had to tell her, but he didn't have to like the prospect.
"I am sure that your fourth cousin will be only too happy to meet her," teased Kurt. "It is strange that you are in his generation of descendants, but that is down to the fact that your side of the family waited longer to have children. I suppose that the two world wars had a role to play in that far more for the British side than the American side."
Adam smiled, then said in a mischievous tone, "Of course, had things been different, he would have been my fourth cousin and my father-in-law… That would have thrown up all sorts of complications…"
Kurt nodded but added nothing further of his own to that topic. He loved Adam, but Blaine was his soulmate, just as Lawrence was Adam's. "My dad has very little knowledge of his family history on his mother's side, mainly because she herself knew very little. He has always said that he wanted to look into it when he finally had the time; now I can show him what you have discovered, or better yet, you can tell him all about it."
"Well, I guess that I should warn him before my grandmother starts going around informing everyone that she is related to him. It truly is such a small world when things like this come to light…"
"The bonds between the United Kingdom and the United States have always been strong and it wouldn't be the first time that it has been revealed that a well-known actor is a relative of a politician. I mean, there was that prominent woman MP in Britain, who stood as a candidate for leader of her party, whose grandmother's cousin was revealed to be Dame Angela Lansbury for a start…"
Adam nodded, then added, "Didn't also turn out that Angela was the second cousin, once removed of a former Australian Prime Minister too?"
"Indeed, so my dad being your fourth cousin will be interesting to the media, but hardly a scandal…"
Adam already had a contact phone number for Burt, and so he decided that he should make the phone call straight away. Kurt agreed, then took his leave as his friend dialled the number. He got through to Carole, who after the usual pleasantries informed him that Burt was in his study making his way through a batch of government papers and had requested that he not be disturbed. Adam understood and was about to ring off when Carole stopped him. "Actually, he has just come into the room with Kurt, and somehow, he seems to know that it is you on the telephone… Okay, so my instructions are to tell you to hang up and be ready to take a Zoom call from Burt instead. What is going on?"
Adam didn't tell her, so she had to wait until the Zoom call was opened, and between him and Kurt, they revealed to her and Burt what Adam had just discovered. There was a stunned silence for a moment, and then Burt laughed. "Well, that is an eye-opener and no mistake. I always knew that I had European ancestry through my father's line, but until now I suspected that they were all somewhere in Austria or Germany, as that is where the surname Hummel is most common. Now I know that I have English heritage too, which is great. You and I will need to get together sometime and have a proper look through all of those records."
"My grandmother will be particularly proud of her connection to such a prominent person in American political life; in fact, being blunt, she will probably be quite insufferable about it all…"
Burt laughed, and said, "My mother is still alive, of course, not that she wants any of the limelight or attention that I bring. She is, however, a big fan of a certain sitcom…" Adam chuckled then as he saw Burt was actually going to be in the same boat as he was. "I am sure that the other residents of the nursing home she is in will be told every time that you appear on the screen that you are… well, actually, I'm not entirely sure…"
"Her third cousin, once removed," said Kurt. "I actually had mom explain that one the other way around, as that is what your father is to my dad, Adam…"
"I am going to let Joan tell him what we have discovered," Adam replied. "It let's her have a bit of enjoyment out of it all…"
"Now, according to my diary I have a talk scheduled with a group of students at Princeton on Thursday at lunchtime, but then I have the rest of the afternoon free as another meeting has been called off. Maybe you would like to bring your grandmother down to one of our nation's oldest colleges for a visit that day, especially as she can then meet and have tea with her new American relative. Sound her out about it, and if she is willing, then get in touch with Rory to confirm it. I will pencil it in the diary in any case…" Adam nodded, but he suspected that his grandmother would be only too pleased to make the trip…
When he shared his research with his grandmother and Lawrence a little while later, Joan's eyes widened for a moment, and then a look that was a mix of excitement and satisfaction appeared on her face. "The number of times that a certain lady at the Women's Institute back home has banged on about how her son-in-law is a Green Party councillor in Brighton with special responsibilities for parks and recreation… I can't wait to see her face when I tell her that my fourth cousin is the Speaker of the House in Washington DC; that should shut her up!"
Adam rolled his eyes as Lawrence tried not to laugh. "I would love to have tea with him, and Princeton is one of those American locations that even the dimmest members of the W.I. will have heard of, so that is an added bonus. I assume that he will be delivering a speech about something important before he meets with us… Now, will his lovely wife be with him, as that would just be the icing on the cake…"
"I would need to check with Rory about that; Carole often does travel with Burt, but she does have other commitments of her own to attend to," responded Adam, wondering if Carole was quite ready to be confronted by Joan…
"It would be nice to meet her and see how we could, as a W.I., assist with the campaign that she is involved in alongside the First Lady and of course, our wonderful Princess Royal," Joan replied. The innocence in her tone did not fool Adam for a moment, and he shook his head at the fact that she was trying to use Burt as a route to make contact with both the First Lady and the Royal Family back home…